The present invention relates to a handling machine designed in such a way that it is able to move along the surface of a sloping or horizontal wall in order to carry out random operations thereon.
In the present state of the art, French Pat. No. 1 470 634 and its certificate of addition No. 2 002 527 show that it is known to clean submerged surface with the aid of a handling machine able to move more particularly along the hull of a ship, or within a tank or tanker. This machine has a working chamber with an open side on the side of the submerged surface, and a pump, which continuously discharges to the outside the water contained in said chamber, so as to lower the pressure therein. Thus, said machine is engaged with the submerged surface. Moreover, the handling machine described in the aforementioned specifications is equipped with a drive motor ensuring its displacement along the surface.
In certificate of addition No. 2 002 527, the open side of the chamber is in contact with the submerged surface by an edge having undulations defining a large pressure drop, which further improves the engagement of the machine with the surface under the action of the pump.
Although these known handling machines have a satisfactory behaviour for the specific applications for which they were intended and particularly for cleaning a submerged surface by means of brushes, they cannot be used when it is necessary to successively perform different operations on the surface.
In addition, these machines cannot be used when the operations to be carried out require the presence within the working chamber of a fluid differing from the medium in which the machine is working or moving. Thus, the machine is engaged against the surface by an open circuit circulation within the working chamber of the fluid in which the machine is working and by producing a pressure drop between the edges of the chamber and the surface, so as to produce a vacuum or underpressure within the chamber. Thus, the fluid contained in the chamber must be the same as that of the external medium and there is a permanent communication between the chamber and the external medium at the edge of said chamber. Thus, such machines cannot be used for carrying out different operations requiring the presence of different fluids.